Alain Tanner's involvement with film began during his college years. While attending Geneva's Calvin College, he and Claude Goretta formed Geneva's first film society. It was during this time that Tanner developed an admiration for the ethnographic documentaries of Jean Rouch and fellow Swiss Henry Brandt, an influence that continued throughout his career.
Mai Zetterling?s career as a filmmaker stemmed from her disillusionment with acting. Trained at Stockholm?s Royal Dramatic Theatre, Zetterling debuted on stage and screen in 1941. She considered the film Torment her best acting achievement. She worked in British theater, enacting roles in Chekhov, Anouilh, and Ibsen plays, and in British films. After one part in a Hollywood film, Knock on Wood with Danny Kaye, she spurned contract offers and returned home.
